1. Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure relates generally to a display system having a lighting mechanism on the underside of a shelf for illuminating an item on display on another shelf below the lighting mechanism. The display system includes at least a removable shelf and a wall panel and may include other structures for display purposes. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to an illuminated display system that may be fitted to existing gondola systems, thereby avoiding the cost of purchasing a new gondola system. Preferably, the display system utilizes light emitting diode (LED) lighting as part of the display system.
2. Description of Related Art
Electrical wires are nearly always a problem in illuminated commercial product displays, including free-standing displays and gondola systems. Usually, an LED device, such as an LED tube and/or LED strip, is connected to a power source using wires and/or electric cords. Wires and/or cords are placed on the displays and gondola systems both horizontally and vertically, under shelves, along columns and/or other places resulting in visual chaos. This wires and/or cords also often block clear views of merchandise on the display shelves and create such potential safety issues as broken/exposed wires and/or cords that may be touched by shoppers or come into contact with electrically conductive parts of the display system or gondola, thereby creating a shock hazard.
Typical methods of lighting shelves include lighting connected to the shelves. These shelving and lighting structures generally enclose internal wiring and lighting which may be used to illuminate items on the shelves. This lighting method, however, generally prohibits the flexibility associated with modular shelving. More particularly, this lighting method requires a shelf structure that will not allow for disconnecting a shelf from a first location on a support structure and connecting the shelf at a different, second location on the support structure. In addition, these shelving systems are based on relatively high voltage AC power sources which introduce excess wiring that results in somewhat complex wiring on the shelves themselves and/or requires the use of “step-down” transformers or ballasts to cut down the voltage between the electric source and the lights. In addition, the electrical connections of these types of shelving systems are not completely insulated from the shelving components themselves, and offer potential for electrical shock to shoppers. In these shelving systems, the standards into which the shelves are hooked for support also provide the electric current for powering the lights associated with the shelves. Thus, the standards must be made of metal for the purpose of conducting the electricity and completing the electric circuit.
One solution that has been developed in an attempt to overcome the disadvantages and potential problems of the above systems is a so-called “plug-and-play” technology for use in low-voltage LED display systems. Plug-and-play technology has been mostly employed in display for cosmetic products. These types of products are not particularly heavy and do not require shelving that is as sturdy as some other products. These displays usually have walls with 12″ molded plastic or similarly-sized back panels and trays. The back panels comprise vertical conductive standards connected to a power source. The molded trays comprise LEDs and conductive brackets. Low-voltage electric current passes through the vertical conductive standards of the back panels and to the tray brackets to ultimately power the LEDs. Conductive standards and brackets must both be insulated. This design employs such a support system of standards and tray brackets as part of an electrically conductive system. A fundamental problem with the above type of design is that this design is generally restricted to sizes such as 12″ trays or trays of similar width. It is difficult to apply this design to larger-sized shelves, such as 36″ or 48″ widths as well as to 14″ to 36″ depths.
A second problem with the typical designs described above is that they cannot work for existing gondolas, which are not insulated. Safety criteria will not permit the use of non-insulated DC12V or DC24V low-voltage gondola uprights and shelf brackets.
As a solution to the foregoing problems, a vertical conductive clip-belt has been developed that is disposed behind the gondola wall (instead of conductive standards behind the wall) and conductive poles are placed in the display trays to make electrical connection with the vertical conductive clip belt disposed behind the gondola wall. The conductive poles are parallel to, but separate from, the support brackets that support the weight of merchandise on the display shelves. This is distinguished from previous designs that used support brackets that are also conductive. The conductive poles provide electric current to the LED devices associated with the shelves via electric circuitry that is completely insulted with no possibility of contacting any of the shelf display or gondola components and/or of contact by shoppers. This design is the subject matter of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/959,149 (and U.S. Provisional Application Ser. No. 61/680,987, both of which are incorporated herein by reference) of Yeyang Sun, the applicant of the present disclosure. In the '149 application, all conductive components are insulated and the support system (wall standards and tray brackets) are separated from the conductive components of the system (wall clip-belt and conductive poles). This separation development also is applicable to most size shelving, such as 12″ to 48″ widths and 12″ to 36″ depths. A benefit of the separation development is that from a visual aesthetics point of view, no wires and/or cords are exposed. Although the foregoing development may be retrofitted to existing gondola systems, the retrofitting requires dismantling of the gondola system, installing the clip belts and related wiring of the lighting system, and reassembly of the gondola system. For existing gondola systems, this can be time consuming and expensive from a labor point of view, including the cost of removing and replacing merchandise on the existing shelves.
Accordingly, there is a need for a system that provides completely insulated electrical circuitry from the power source to the lighting fixtures and back, but without the need of disassembly and reassembly of the gondola system. Preferably, such a system would also be simple to install, provide flexibility in the gondola system to which it can be applied and to shelf location, while eliminating or limiting the number of wires and/or cords that are exposed.
These and other needs are met by one embodiment of the low profile, low-voltage plug and play display system of the present disclosure. The above-described concept of separation of conductive elements from the support system is carried forward and applied in the present disclosure of a low profile, low-voltage plug and play gondola devices for general application, including to new gondola walls, as well as existing pegboards. For retrofitting existing gondola systems all that is required by the development of the present disclosure is a narrow gap, in general on the order of about ¼″, between the rear edge of the shelf and the existing gondola wall, pegboard or non-pegboard. There is no need to modify the bracketing elements of the shelves of the display system to allow for an extra “gap” or space between the rear edge of the shelf and the gondola, as is necessary for some state of the art systems. As alternatives, two embodiments of the present disclosure provide for an essentially “no profile”, low voltage plug and play device designed to provide low voltage for under-the shelf lighting with “no-gap” or “almost-no-gap” needed between the rear edge of a shelf and the existing gondola wall, pegboard or non-pegboard.